"Strings Attached" pounds out some wins

With only four years as an established registered student organization, "Strings Attached," the SIUC racquetball club, has already managed to gain recognition in the collegiate sports world. The club recently placed third in the 2005 Midwest Intercollegiate Championships racquetball tournament in its second year at the competition. Last year it placed fourth.

"I think last year was kind of a joke, and now we're not a joke anymore," said Ryan Glasscock, the club's vice president. "They expect us to be good competition." The tournament was hosted by Vetta Sports - Concord, and took place from Feb. 11 to 13 in St. Louis. Five players from Strings Attached competed in the tournament: Andrew Benko, Mike Degonia, Ryan Glasscock, Keith Stevens, and Dave Gillespie.

"Everyone did their part," said club President Andrew Benko, "We couldn't have done as well as we did without everyone playing." A total of 16 colleges competed in the tournament. University of Missouri won first place and Southwest Missouri State University second. Strings Attached beat schools such as University of Illinois, Purdue University and Iowa State University.

"There was a lot on the line for third place overall," said Glasscock, a sophomore from St. Louis studying aviation flight. "There was a big 'come from behind' on the first game and a strong finish to a hard fought game." The team would have placed second if it had not been for Southwest Missouri State's women's team, who earned 595 points out of a total team score of 1135. The cumulative score that determines the tournament winner is totaled from the men's, women's and men's doubles divisions added together.

Strings Attached accumulated 765 points, while SMS had only 450 in the men's division. If the team from SIUC had women to compete in the division, it would be able to add more points to its total score. "Our guy's team out-played theirs, but over half their points came from girls," said Benko, a senior from Roselle studying mechanical engineering. "That's why we need girls. They are big points."

The team plans on competing in the U.S. National Intercollegiate Championships on March 30 through April 2 in Tempe, Ariz., and hopes to place in the top ten. "The level of play is so high, if we place at nationals, that's saying quite a bit," said Mike Degonia, the club treasurer from Orland Park who is studying education. When going to tournaments, the team looks forward to getting together with other college students and experiencing the high level of play said Degonia.

"The intensity is so high compared to just playing at your home courts with your friends," said Benko. "After a weekend, you are sore for the next three days." The team has about 20 members and they practice three to four times a week on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and some Saturdays from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Student Recreation Center. "We created the club about four years ago just as a way to reserve courts every week," Benko said. "It's kind of snowballed from there."

Both students and community members are encouraged to come out and play if interested in racquetball. To join, one can either just show up at courts 11 and 12 on the club's practice days or call Andrew Benke at 457-0999.